Who is Sherri Papini? Kidnapping controversy explained as California woman is arrested for ‘faking’ abduction

Sherri Papini, a 39-year-old woman from California who was the alleged victim of a sensational 2016 kidnapping case, was recently arrested for fabricating her abduction.

The news of her arrest was confirmed by U.S. Attorney Phillip Talbert in an official statement:

"When a young mother went missing in broad daylight, a community was filled with fear and concern… Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping.”

The attorney also mentioned that time and resources meant to investigate actual crime, protect the community, and provide aid to victims were wasted in the case.

Sherri Papini has reportedly been charged with lying to federal agents and defrauding $30,000 through the California Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB).

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Everything to know about Sherri Papini and her alleged abduction

Sherri Papini went missing on November 2, 2016 and reappeared three weeks later (Image via Gadi Schwartz/Twitter)

Sherri Papini is a mother from Redding, California, who made the news after she went missing from her hometown in 2016 and returned home three weeks later after her disappearance. Following her return, Papini claimed that she had been kidnapped by two Hispanic women, leading to a high-profile investigation.

At the time of her disappearance, Papini was married to her husband Keith and shared two children with him. Reports suggest that the woman mysteriously disappeared after leaving her Redding home for a jog on November 2, 2016.

She was first reported missing by her husband Keith, who failed to find his wife upon returning home from work. He became more concerned after learning that Papini did not pick up their children from daycare.

Keith reportedly used the Find My iPhone app to locate Papini’s cell phone and ear buds at the intersection of Sunrise Drive and Old Oregon, a mile from their home. He also raised nearly $50,000 in a GoFundMe fundraiser to bear the expense of his wife’s missing investigation.

Nearly 22 days after her disappearance, Papini reappeared in Yolo County, near Woodland, on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 2016. She was seen on the road by a passerby motorist with restraints on her hand, chopped hair and injuries on her body.

Papini told law enforcement officials that she was kidnapped by two unidentified and masked Hispanic women at gunpoint. The Yolo County Sheriff’s Department also mentioned that the woman was branded during her abduction.

Keith Papini also provided a written statement to Good Morning America, mentioning that his wife was found beaten, branded, starved, covered in bruises and weighed down to 87 pounds after her return.

He said that Sherri’s “signature long, blond hair” was also chopped off and she was thrown from a vehicle with a chain around her waist and wrists and a bag over her head.

Meanwhile, the FBI released sketches of two “unknown individuals” based on the description of the alleged kidnappers provided by Papini. The case came under further scrutiny after investigators revealed that Papini was texting a “male acquaintance” before her disappearance.

The FBI made two sketches of Sherri Papini's alleged abductors (Images via Paula Neal Mooney/Twitter)

Officials then found the presence of male DNA in Papini’s clothes, which did not match that of her husband. However, Shasta County Sheriff's Sergeant Brian Jackson told BuzzFeed News at the time that authorities "absolutely" still believed Papini.

According to The Daily Mail, Sherri Papini started living a quiet life with her family at a home on the outskirts of Shasta Lake. Neighbors told the publication that she was living as a "recluse" but started making more public appearances in 2017.

That same year, Papini was also seen running some simple errands and relaxing in her yard while reading a book.

During the investigation, it was also revealed that the woman previously exhibited some suspicious behavior as a teenager. According to the Sacramento Bee, court documents found several years ago showed that Papini's mother, Loretta Graeff, called police saying her daughter allegedly practiced self-harm and blamed the wounds on her mother.

Over time, the Sherri Papini kidnapping case garnered widespread media attention, with national law enforcement experts expressing their suspicions about the alleged abduction and questioning the inconsistencies in the kidnapping report.

In November 2019, officials mentioned that they still had no lead on any identifiable suspects in relation to the case except for the two sketches. However, Shasta County Sheriff's Captain Pat Kropholler confirmed that the case was still not closed, despite having no active lead.

Following her return, Papini was also provided with $30,000 from the California Victim Compensation Board for her therapist visits and ambulance ride charges.

On March 3, 2022, more than five years after her disappearance, the Department of Justice finally revealed that Sherri Papini allegedly fabricated her abduction and even harmed herself to support her story.

Investigators also alleged that the woman was living with her former boyfriend in Costa Mesa during her disappearance. Papini has been charged with making false statements to a federal law enforcement official and email fraud in connection with the compensation.